More details have emerged about Intel’s forthcoming Sandy Bridge E processors, the high-performance line that will replace the Gulftown-based Extreme Edition CPUs. According to Turkish Website DonanimHaber (here’s the original link in Turkish), the three new CPUs will be known as the Core i7-3000 Series, while also keeping the Extreme Edition moniker.
The lineup will include a pair of six-core chips, along with a more affordable quad-core part. That one will be known as the Core i7-3820, and each core will run at 3.6GHz and 3.9GHz in Turbo mode. It will not have an unlocked multiplier. The i7-3960X3930 features six cores running at 3.2GHz and 3.8GHz in Turbo mode. It also includes 12MB of L3 cache.
The Core i7-3960X will be the new performance champ, with its six cores bumped up to 3.3GHz and 3.9GHz in Turbo mode. It will come with 15MB of L3 cache and an unlocked multiplier. As with previous hexa-core Extreme Editions, this processor should run around $999 when it’s released.
The Core i7-3820 will reportedly be priced similarly to the Core i7-2600K, the reigning king of Sandy Bridge processors, and will provide an interesting alternative for those who don’t need the i7-2600K’s unlocked multiplier. It will also square off against AMD’s forthcoming Bulldozer line, the priciest of which will be priced in the same ballpark.
The biggest question now is when the Core i7 3000 family will actually launch. Intel’s plan seemed to be to release the new processors as close to Bulldozer’s official launch as possible, but the chip giant apparently suffered a few setbacks recently. If Intel has straightened things out and can launch the new Sandy Bridge E chips this year, it should make for a fascinating showdown between the Core i7-3820 and Bulldozer’s eight-core flagship.
[Via VR-Zone]
